Do you want to enroll for LASIK eye surgery? Wait. The laser-assisted in Situ Keratomileusis refractive surgery indeed provides a permanent solution to different levels of vision imperfections, but the downside is that it is not for everyone.
As much as people want to have LASIK surgery to heal their long-time sight problems, many become heartbroken when the doctor breaks the shocking news that they are not qualified. Though LASIK has been approved for public practice, you might not be the right candidate for the vision corrective procedure.
Before going for a LASIK consultation, you are expected to have discussed with a vision specialist like personalEYES eye surgery groups in Australasia, to know whether you’re qualified or not. The vision specialist would assess on different grounds of qualification before recommending LASIK surgery.
From the expert’s point of view, here are the seven most likely reasons you cant be enrolled for LASIK surgery. If you don’t meet the standards, you are not the right candidate for LASIK. You can consider other options available.
Top 7 Reasons You Can’t Qualify For Lasik Surgery
1. You are below 18 years
LASIK surgery is not recommended for anyone below the age of 18. If you are not up to that, don’t think of going for the consultation. Today, much is not known about vision changes in the sigh of children and adolescents. More so, scientists are yet to establish tested and trusted measures to determine what influences the dramatic changes during childhood and adolescent years. Hence, doctors don’t recommend LASIK for people in that age category as results may be unpredictable or temporary.
2. You are pregnant or breastfeeding
Have you ever wondered why women are less numbered in the record of LASIK patients worldwide? Here’s a hint. Women are not qualified to go for LASIK surgery during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. By implication, if a woman develops a vision problem when pregnant, she would have to wait for more than a year before she could be allowed to undergo the LASIK procedure. Why is time that long? Pregnancy takes up to nine months on average, and exclusive breastfeeding lasts for 6ix months. If you add that figure together, you already have an answer.
Women experience fluid retention and hormone fluctuation during pregnancy which can cause drastic changes in their vision corrective prescription. Also, the hormone changes can cause dry eyes during pregnancy or breastfeeding. In addition, doctors administer medications for dilation during LASIK, which can later become harmful o the fetus when absorbed through the mucous membrane.
3. You are on prescribed medications
Certain prescription drugs can affect the potency of LASIK surgery. While some can delay the healing process, others may prevent you from getting the best possible result. Acne medications can also lead to dry eyes, which can cause a scar on your cornea after LASIK. Of course, your situation may warrant that you are on prescription drugs for some time, but you must allow your health care provider to make that call.
4. You have an unstable prescription
If your eyeglasses or contact lenses prescription fluctuates, you can’t have LASIK surgery. Based on experience, you are expected to have a stable prescription for more than a year. Meanwhile, one ear is the minimum. It can be longer depending on vision complications. Due to contact lens wear and tear, natural aging, and diabetic blood sugar changes, prescriptions can fluctuate. It is recommended that you ensure your prescription is stable before going for LASIK.
5. You are not healthy
Health is wealth as it determines whether or not you will participate in certain beneficial things or not. If you’re not in good health, you are not qualified to have LASIK. The reason is that it may delay quick recovery after the procedure. For instance, patients with autoimmune diseases cant have LASIK as it can cause dry eye syndrome. If you have been attentive to this article, you would have learned that dry eyes are a discouraging factor in LASIK surgery. Dry eyes don’t heal well after LASIK and can cause further damage to patients’ vision. Other health conditions such as diabetes, lupus, glaucoma, rheumatoid arthritis, and cataracts can disqualify people from having LASIK.
In addition, you must have maintained a previous year free of health complications to be qualified for LASIK the following year. If you have heard about eye infections or injuries, going for LASIK might post some detrimental effects on your eyes.
6. Your pupils over-dilate in the dark
During LASIK, the surgeon can only laser 6mm diameter of your eye. That might not be good news for people whose pupil dilates to 7 or 8mm in the dark. If your pupil over-dilates, you may have unwanted glare, starbursts, or halos when the light is on at night time. That is nothing but a side effect. However, people with such pupils can be advantageous since lasers are larger than 7mm. It is best to ask your doctor to know the type of laser he operates. That way, you can manage to have LASIK surgery with your over-dilating pupil
7. You have dry eyes
Having dry eyes means you are not likely to be qualified for a LASIK procedure. Earlier in this article, we have mentioned, on different occasions, that dry eyes can prevent you from having a good LASIK result. Now, it’s time to discuss why it can be dangerous.
Dry eyes can cause post-LASIK discomfort or even worsen the dry eye symptoms. As a result, it can pose further damage to your eyes when you are expected to recover and have perfect vision. However, there are ways to make up for your dry eyes syndrome. Your healthcare provider can put you on certain dry eyes medications to suppress its effect before the day of LASIK.
Finally
If you don’t tick all the standards above, you can’t be recommended for LASIK. Meanwhile, if you are not qualified for LASIK surgery, that does not necessarily mean you should opt for contact lenses or eyeglasses. Other laser refractive surgeries can provide similar solutions as LASIK. You can get professional advice from your ophthalmologist to make an informed decision.
More to read:
Eye problems that Lasik Surgery can treat
A Detailed Guide to Choose Between LASIK, SMILE, and PRK